La Liga has rejected the €222 million payment deposited by Neymar’s lawyer, Juan de Dios Crespo, apparently stalling his move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain.
The 25-year-old was expected to complete the move on Friday so as to play a part in PSG’s Ligue 1 opener on Saturday against Amiens.
“We can confirm Neymar legal representatives went to LaLiga to pay buyout clause and it has been rejected,” La Liga said in a statement.
“That’s all the information we are going to give for the moment.”
The decision by La Liga puts the transfer in an unprecedented situation, although it did not come as a surprise to followers of the world-record move bid.
La Liga president, Javier Tebas, earlier said the organisation would reject that payment due to concerns over Financial Fair Play (FFP).
“Even if PSG do not meet the release clause we are going to report them,” Tebas told a newspaper, Sport on Tuesday.
“We have already warned the president of Paris Saint-Germain that we would do so and we see that PSG’s policy has continued in the same manner.
“They cannot invent some numbers where their commercial rights exceed those of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Nobody believes that.”